Don’t Ask Me to Like You

Like me, follow me, endorse me. Why do so many organizations invest time and energy shamelessly soliciting online engagement? Do these “fans” actually translate into customers? More often than not, these solicited fans will “like” an organization, and go on their merry way without any further brand interaction.

But it doesn’t have to be like this.

Companies have much to gain by building relationships via social media. Audiences are huge, and the monetary investment is small. Most online consumers rely on social media when making purchasing decisions, so having many engaged followers is important. The rule of thumb is that once a company passes 1,000 Facebook fans, its corresponding web traffic doubles. But being “liked” is not enough.

The best way to involve and stimulate a social network is to be an active participant: posting meaningful content several times a week and commenting on posts by fans. Tracking people and companies with a large following in your market is always a good idea as well.

Before building a social network, developing a clear strategy is essential, as in any other aspect of your business. Once you have a clear plan of action, all that remains is to continue with consistency, relevance, and creativity!